CIRT Policy Analysis Apprenticeships Primer September 8, 2017 (Most Recent Analysis/Data)
Trump s executive order will allow third party entities to create their own apprenticeship programs Details on presidential Executive Order expanding apprenticeships in America The executive order moves the role of developing government-funded apprenticeship programs from the Department of Labor to third-party private entities including trade groups, labor unions and businesses. The third parties will set their own bar for success and submit their metrics to the Labor Department for approval and funding. White House officials also said they are working with Congress to allow students to use federal student aid for apprenticeship programs in addition to four-year universities. The executive order follows a proposed budget that decreases funding to the Department of Labor by $2.5 billion (21%), drastically reduces job training services authorized under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and eliminates grants aimed at getting unemployed Americans back to work On June 15, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order that will reduce the federal government s role in creating and monitoring apprenticeship programs, a move that the White House says will help fill vacant jobs. Apprenticeships are arrangements that include a paid-work component and an educational or instructional component, in which participants obtain workplacerelevant knowledge and skills. There are currently about 505,000 apprenticeship positions in the U.S., representing less than a percentage of the U.S. workforce. Sources: Ian Kullgren and Marianne Levine, Trump signs executive order on apprenticeships, Politico, June 15, 2017; White House Office of the Press Secretary. 2
Apprenticeships are less prominent in the US compared to other countries Apprentices as a percentage of total workforce PERCENTAGE France 1.7 Canada 2.6 England 1.8 Australia 3.7 Germany 3.7 US 0.2 Apprentices comprise only 0.2% of the American workforce Source: Richard V. Reeves, Trump gets something right: apprenticeships and social mobility, Brookings, August 28, 2017. 3
The vast majority of apprentices are in the construction and military industries Apprentices by industry PERCENTAGE UTILITIES OTHER TRANSPORTATION PUBLIC ADMINSITRATION MANUFACTURING 5% 5% 3% 4% 3% 48% CONSTRUCTION MILITARY (USMAP) 32% Source: Richard V. Reeves, Trump gets something right: apprenticeships and social mobility, Brookings, August 28, 2017. 4
Participation in apprenticeship programs has been increasing steadily since 2011 Active apprentices THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE 505 442 420 388 358 362 375 410 448 An individual employer, group of employers, or an industry association can sponsor a registered apprenticeship program Registered apprenticeship program sponsors make significant investments to design and execute apprenticeship programs, provide jobs to apprentices, oversee training development, and provide hands-on learning and technical instruction for apprentices FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Source: Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. 5
Over 200,000 new individuals entered apprenticeship programs in FY 2016 New apprenticeship program participants THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE 198 206 133 111 110 130 147 165 171 In FY 2016, more than 206,000 individuals nationwide entered the apprenticeship system and 1,700 new apprenticeship programs were established nationwide FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Source: Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. 6
Nearly 50,000 individuals completed apprenticeships in FY 2016 Total program completers THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE 52 50 51 55 60 53 44 53 49 In FY 2016, 49,354 individuals completed their apprenticeship programs FY 2008 FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Source: Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. 7